Rivarossi Passenger Car HELP!!!

[donny2001]

Hello,

I won off of Ebay a 4 car set of Rivarossi passenger cars (Milwaukee Road 1920s era Set A). I got a pretty good deal on it, seeing that there was no box. Upon arrival was the REAL surprise! I GOT JIPPED! The cars claimed to be operational, and the picthres showed that all the cars had identical tops! NOPE! I have two cars with white tops, one with a jerry rigged coupler mount (A large screw and 4 washers on each side!), missing wheels on one car, and I think thats it.

I have informed the seller about a refund, and am in negotiations with him as we speak, but if the end result is Im out of look getting the right cars that I was supposed to win I would like to fix these up.

I know someone mentioned a place in Ohio that specializes in Rivarossi car repair, and was wondering the name and phone # for that place. Walthers unfortunatly does not carry the 6wheel trucks I need anymore (The are out of stock till unkown (IE: Retired).

I was so excited to get these cars, I went and bought new couplers for them, purchased a couple of engines for it cause I thought to myself I have the whole set. Now Im angry cause I have to put more time and money in them. Its sad to say but I may just stop buying off of ebay now.
ITS NEW or NOTHING or buildit myself!

DON

[Anonymous]

www.golfmanorhobbies.com of Cin Oh.
1-513-351-3849 They won't break any speed records. We realize you are a newbie and I think our Don Gibson and a few others can walk you through
the rebuild/coupler conversions that can be tricky.

[Don Gibson]

RIVAROSSI PASSENGER CARS used Talgo trucks with 32" wheels - non standard to say the least. IHC's cars are cheap copies of the Rivarossi, and that includes the trucks. Talk to their PARTS DEPARTMENT. IHC's 6 wheeled OEM* truck's should fit with minimal modification, and as they are Talgo's, should ALSO solve your coupler problem. McHenry makes coupler's for these trucks.

Anything else (other than the above) would be expen$ive. Frankly, I'd complain of fraud to E Bay - false advertising - if what you say is true.

*Original Equipment Manufacturer

[Anonymous]

Passenger cars, even the newer ones can be awkward & tricky to work on.
My suggestion, before you start, share with us your plan. This way ,we may be
able to save you both time & grief.

[Anonymous]

Kadee have kits designed to fit their couplers to various truck-mounted systems - they mention RIvarossi. Part numbers are the #505 and the #508 if I remember rightly. I've used these on a Con-Cor car before now and they work pretty well. Hope this helps!

[Virginian]

It happens to the best of us sometimes. The roof(s) are easy to paint. Golf Manor has wheels and trucks, or they did. I am not sure but I think IM 33" metal wheels fit Riv cars fine. 36" wheels will make the car sit too high and they won't clear the brake shoes.
The KD conversions work well, but be advised they used to have the applications for their 505 and 508 switched and they were wrong in their printed material. 505 fits the 6 wheel and 508 fits the 4 wheel. And you do have to trim some plastic and drill a small hole and use a VERY small self tapping screw that KD gives you ZERO extra of. I would sure be tempted to use McHenry's.
I have some IHC heavyweights I painted and put their interiors in (boy now those need painting!), and some other details, and they look quite presentable for not much money.

[mondotrains]

Hi Don,
If the cars are the so-called Heavyweights made by Rivarossi, then you should buy 33" wheels as suggested above. I personally use Reboxx wheelset number WS11015 for my Rivarossi heavyweight cars. As a matter of fact, I just bought a Rivarossi heavyweight circus car last week and installed the Reboxx wheels yesterday. The car runs fine but I still need to add weight inside because these cars are notoriously underweight. I'll use some bb's glued inside.

Hope this helps.
Mondo

[donny2001]

Don,

I thank you for your advice on contacting IHC. As my Bible (Walthers Catalog) lists in the chapter according to Couplers and Trucks (Page 258) Verse 348-220020 is the item I am shooting for. I have contacted IHC inregards to the availability of these trucks in an email.

Of all else fails, I may just buy a IHC passenger car, and strip it of its trucks and use the car as a resturaunt or railroad storage building or something in that line. As for the couplers, I have purchased 4 pairs of these a couple of weeks ago from Walthers, in anticipation of these new cars, and an excuse to convert my other set.

As for everyone else, I thank you for your assistance, tips and techniques. As I am a "NEWBIE" to the forum, I have been involved in model railroading since I was 3. From the days of running trains to purposly jump the tracks and crash (Them poor Tyco and Bachmann Cars), to the maturing age of 22, where the past 9 years I have been enjoying the art of building model kits (Athearn Blue Boxes, MDCs, Walthers, etc), Buildings (Walthers mainly), to taking pride of my fleet and switching it in its respective yards!

I am currently working on a small HO scale layout with my father in the littlest room possible that my mother would permit us to use. As for pictures, there are none yet available except a boring circle, layed on a Earth colored (Latex Interior Flat Paint) styrafoam board. WIth the progression of a city. Ill provide pictures when there is something worth showing though.

Thanx again!

DON

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to a How to thread on installing the #508 kit on an IHC truck. The instalation is basicly the same for the Rivarossi 6 wheel truck.
http://2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=16.html

[dinwitty]

Unless you run 18-22" radius curves, I modified my RR passengers to body mounts, my own work, just use a longer shank coupler.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Ray Marinaccio

Here's a link to a How to thread on installing the #508 kit on an IHC truck. The instalation is basicly the same for the Rivarossi 6 wheel truck.
http://2guyzandsumtrains.com/Content/pa=showpage/pid=16.html

Nice link Ray, can't get much better.
Here's one for you, http://www.pentrex.com/sfaz.html

[cacole]

After you locate replacement trucks, you can put InterMountain 33-inch metal wheelsets into them in place of the stock plastic 32-inch wheels, and this will drastically improve both the weight and rolling characteristics.